Security Notice: As part of our ongoing effort to enhance security, this agency will no longer support the use of internet security protocol TLS 1.0 effective August 1. Additionally, we will also discontinue support for Internet security protocol TLS 1.1 as of September 1. This means you may need to update your web browser to use this site. For questions about updating, please consult your internet browser provider.

Accomplishments - Executive Summary from
June 2002 - June 2003
Presented at the XXI
United States - Mexico
Border Governors Conference

GENERAL

The Governors of the 10 border states successfully established
two new work tables that met for the first time in 2003.

Energy

Border Security

On March 27, 2003, the Border Governors met in a special meeting
in New Mexico to discuss the impact of increased security on the
economies of border communities.

AGRICULTURE

Recommendation 1Work with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
and the Secretaría de Agricultura, ganadería, desarrollo rural pesca
y alimentación (SAGARPA) to coordinate a bio/agroterrorism defense
plan for the border region.

Accomplishments

A "Members' Only" section has been established on the Border
Governors Conference Agriculture Work Table (AWT) website. States
have already begun placing information on the website http://www.agr.state.tx.us/border/index.htm

A U.S. border state hosted a preliminary meeting with the
Mexican border states to discuss foreign animal disease responses
to continue enhancing the lines of communication between the
border states.

Recommendation 2Collaborate with the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and the Secretaría de Agricultura, ganaderia, desarrollo
rural, pesca y alimentación (SAGARPA) to actively support prevention,
control and eradication programs for plant diseases and pests.

Accomplishments

The work table met on several occasions to share
information on pest and animal disease activities.

Cooperated in the regional biological control and management
of plant pests such as the pink bollworm to propose to develop
a suppression/eradication program for New Mexico, West Texas,
and Northern Mexico.

Letters were sent to the USDA Secretary Ann Veneman and the
SAGARPA Secretary Javier Usabiaga regarding fruit fly pest-free
areas.

Recommendation 3Coordinate with the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and the Secretaría de Agricultura, ganadería, desarrollo
rural, pesca y alimentación (SAGARPA) to allocate additional resources
to support prevention, control and eradication programs for animal
diseases and pests.

The AWT border state veterinarians participated with USDA
and the SAGARPA in the Bi-National TB Committee meetings that
review changes of regional disease status.

The AWT Animal Health Committee assisted the USDA to formulate
interstate animal movement regulations, which will address the
disease status of tuberculosis in Mexican states. The six Mexican
border states passed state regulations that concur with the
new USDA's regulations.

A Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak simulation exercise took
place between Texas and Coahuila with participation from Border
States.

Some members of the Agriculture Work Table Animal Committee
participated on California's multi-agency task force responses
for the Exotic Newcastle disease.

The SAGARPA approved the Mexican Border States proposed tuberculosis
and fruit fly project in May 2003. Both SAGARPA and the Mexican
Border States are working to allocate funding for fiscal year
2004 through 2006.

BORDER CROSSINGS

Recommendation 1Urge both federal governments to increase financial resources
for transportation infrastructure in border states serving international
bridges or border crossings and transportation corridors, for new
projects as well as for expansions, modernization and improvements.
Projects should include border safety inspection services with increased
funding for additional staff, equipment and state-of-the-art technology
to make border crossings faster, safer, and more secure, to mitigate
the negative economic impacts in border communities caused by the
prolonged wait times. Likewise, strengthen national security through
design, components, and operations of all existing and future federal
and state border facilities, improving operation and flow.

Accomplishments

A work group was established with the different
federal agencies that deal with border crossings to follow up
on the recommendations in the Border Governors' Joint Declaration.

At the meeting that was held on April 9, 2003 in Chihuahua
City, the federal agencies that deal with border crossings reported
on their modernization, expansion projects and on new crossings.

At the same meeting, reports were given on advances in the
Modernization and Equipment Program for customs installations.

Recommendation 2Request improvements in the coordination between the different
national authorities that operate at border crossings as well as
improvements in binational coordination, including synchronizing
of operating schedules of United States and Mexican agencies with
each other at individual ports of entry and extending hours of operation
where necessary. Further request that federal inspection agencies
reduce border crossing times to a maximum of 15 minutes for passenger
vehicles and 20 minutes for compliant commercial vehicles by developing
inspection procedures that can ensure safety and security while
allowing efficient movement of persons and goods across the border,
and that the federal goverment request an ongoing evaluation process
of the efficiency and quality control of the border crossings.

Accomplishments

The Secretaría de Contraloría y Desarrollo Administrativo
(now Secretaría de la Función Pública) started operations of
the Comisión Intersecretarial para la Coordinación Operativa
en los Puntos de Internación al Territorio Nacional (CICOPI),
to harmonize the operations of the different authorities that
are present at the border crossings.

The schedules group of the CICOPI was formed to harmonize
the hours of service at the border crossings.

At the meeting held in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, on April 9, 2003,
the representative of SECODAM reported on progress in crossing
times for commercial and private vehicles, by the regional CICOPIs.

Recommendation 3Request the publication, distribution and implementation of
the mechanisms for facilitating cross-border operations of commercial
vehicles, as agreed upon in the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA).

Accomplishments

The work table co-chairs sent a letter to the
U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration acknowledging
its bilingual web site with information for the Mexican motor
carrier industry. The work table also acknowledged its print
publications and 800 number, and asked that it continue to make
this information widely available. The co-chairs also sent a
letter to the Mexican Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes
acknowledging its well developed web site and requesting that
it start a wide spread dissemination of information about Mexican
regulations for cross border trucking.

Recommendation 4Facilitate border crossings by taking the following specific
actions: expedite the process of issuing laser visas and make them
accessible for border communities that do not have U.S. consulates;
evaluate the results of the SENTRI express lane program with the
purpose of expanding it to other crossings as well as reducing the
cost and time it takes to register in the program; and recommend
that border states should participate in any kind of decision that
involves border-crossing fees.

Accomplishments

Two letters were sent by the work table to the
U.S. Department of State and to the Immigration and Naturalization
Service urging them to guarantee that laser visas be processed
and issued quickly. The work table also asked that the State
Department cooperate with the municipalities to facilitate the
application process for individuals that do not have access
to a local consulate.

Satisfactory results have been achieved with
the SENTRI program, and the feasibility of expanding this program
to other crossings on the border is being studied.

Recommendation 5Promote the implementation of urban development plans with the
goal of achieving more harmonized and orderly growth on both sides
of the border and establishing the systematic and routine exchange
of information about these plans.

Accomplishments

SEDESOL (Secretaría de Desarrollo Social) heads
up the process for communicating the work programs for urban
development in the cities with border crossings.

A letter was written which will be sent by the
border governors to the border authorities or border planning
and urban development organizations to persuade them to coordinate
and establish an exchange of information to achieve better planning
on both sides of the border.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Recommendation 1Update quarterly the economic information system and regional
cluster information through coordinated state and subregion efforts
so as to input data into one source and promote the system through
all the available promotional strategies and resources at the state
and regional level.

Accomplishments

Economic data for all ten Border States has been
collected and is now available.

Recommendation 2Strengthen industry and employment retention throughout the
region by: promoting business meetings - by industry - so as to
learn about their needs and requirements; setting up a key-factor
matrix, by state and by region, to determine industry competitiveness
and retention; negotiating with various government levels the establishment
of business retention programs; and promoting the establishment
of long-term economic policies for the U.S.-México border region.

Accomplishments

A matrix of regional strengths has been developed
as a tool to promote the Border States.

A list of the major promotional events throughout
the region has been created and will be available at our web
site.

The Governors of New Mexico and Chihuahua participated
in the first joint promotional mission to Chicago in February
2003.

Probation and publication for the decree for an establishment
of a general tax for the importation for the Regional Border
and The Northern Ridge Border, thus with the decree they establish
the tariff fractions that all claim tax relief from the general
importation from the Northern Ridge Border and the Regional
Border, both publications are in the Official Journal of the
Federation, December 31, 2002.

Recommendation 3Develop regional suppliers and encourage regional competitiveness
by promoting the creation of a specific industry-trade program by
state and region, and by promoting strategic alliances between domestic
and foreign companies that will enable value-added increases for
products manufactured along the border region, windows of opportunity
shall be identified through constant communication with local governments
and industry organizations that represent the region.

Accomplishments

With the support of the Governors of New Mexico
and Chihuahua, a regional recruiting and marketing organization
has been created in the Paso del Norte Corridor, including the
private sector of El Paso, Texas, Juarez, Chihuahua, and southern
New Mexico.

The governors of California and Baja California,
with their Secretaries of Economic Development and Transportation,
met in March and formed a specific working group to expedite
safely commerce across the borders.

The Governors of New Mexico and Chihuahua created
the New Mexico-Chihuahua Commission to develop mutually beneficial
programs and resolve international border issues.

The states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila,
Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon initiated a program to exchange
information about the development of suppliers to the region.

Recommendation 4Foster a transparent regulatory framework that will be efficient
in the long term for the region by promoting counseling forums to
serve as technical support for better regulation for the states
and border area subregions.

Accomplishments

The Mexican Border States met with the Federal
Commission on Improved Regulation (COFEMER) to discuss streamlining
state and municipal regulations.

The Mexican Border States have proposed to COFEMER
a system to expedite the establishment of new small business.

EDUCATION

Recommendation 1Develop a report to support the need for a United States-Mexico
Border Commission on Education.

Accomplishments

The Border States developed a study that supports
the creation of the Commission

The members of the education worktable worked
on the project to support creation, organization and operations
of the Commission.

The Secretary of Public Education in Mexico
is reviewing the project, in accordance to the law, and is negotiating
the funding needed for its operations.

Recommendation 2Strengthen and promote joint collaboration in the areas of public
education and cultural exchange programs throughout the border.

Accomplishments

The education worktable selected the key programs
to drive forward the development of the United States-Mexico
Border

Educational and cultural exchanges

English-Spanish as a second language

Education based on shared life values

Health and safety education

State-of-the-art didactic technology \

Workforce training and adult education

The following states were charged with the evaluation
and proposal of the following:
Educational and Cultural Exchanges and Migrant Education - Nuevo
León & Texas

Health and Safety Education - Chihuahua

Values - Baja California

English as a second language - Coahuila

Evaluation and proposal work is currently in
progress; all participating states are compiling information

Recommendation 3

Accomplishments

The following states were charged with the evaluation and
proposal of the following:

State-of-the-art didactic technology - Tamaulipas

Workforce training and adult education - Sonora

Evaluation and proposal work is currently in
progress; all participating states are compiling information

ENVIRONMENT

Recommendation 1: Coordinate and promote local or state
management systems to conserve and optimize water use.

Accomplishments
Actions undertaken by states include:

The six Mexican states solicited from the federal
government a hydraulic balance by state in the 2002 declarations.

Baja California has eight wastewater treatment
plants.

The development of a Decision-making Support
System is being carried out in Chihuahua to administer the Río
Conchos basin and intesify treatment of residual waters, relying
on 20 treatment plants and 55 lagoon systems and sanitation
services coverage of 59%, the national average being 25%. Also,
more than $200 million has been invested in the sanitation system
for the Río Chuviscar.

The state of Chihuahua has a Water Culture program
that has been implemented in 47 localities and 20 municipalities
that provides outreach to children on the importance of water.
The state also has an "Everyone Together for Water" campaign
that coordinates efforts that will benefit all Chihuanuenses.

New Mexico is in the process of developing a
policy on the use of residual waters that promotes the efficient
use of limited drinking water resources. Also it is implementing
a project to develop proper handling practices for the reuse
and allocation of land previously used for processing wastewater
from dairies.

The State of Texas, through its Water Smart program
found at http://www.watersmart.org/,
is working with local governments to conserve and optimize water
use. In addition, the Texas Water Development Board is working
with the Border Environment Conservation Commission and the
North American Development Bank to develop water conservation
projects for irrigation districts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
of Texas, in Hidalgo and Cameron counties. At the BECC meeting
in Brownsville, Texas on June 18, five projects were certified
that would conserve irrigation water in Cameron and Hidalgo
counties.

Coahuila works with treatment plants in the cities
of Acuña, Sabinas, Saltillo, Torreón and Piedras Negras.

In February a binational workshop on "Environmental
Management Systems and Pretreatment of Residual Waters" was
held in Tamaulipas. There is a joint effort with the federal
government, the municipality of Matamoros and the Water and
Drainage Board for the development of a comprehensive drinking
water and sanitation project for Matamoros with the support
of BECC and the NADBank.

Recommendation 2Work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Secretaría
de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), and the Western
Governors Association (WGA) to develop projects that improve air
quality in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

Accomplishments
Actions undertaken by states include:

Baja California and Sonora have pavement projects
under consideration by BECC through its Clean Air Program.

Baja California has developed a pilot project
to inventory vehicular emissions.

Arizona and Sonora have developed an air quality
improvement plan for Ambos Nogales and have initiated an air
quality study for the San Luis Río Colorado region.

Chihuahua and Coahuila have developed and promote
alternatives to decrease emissions generated by brick kilns.

Texas through the Central States Regional Air
Planning Association (CENRAP), worked with EPA and the WGA on
a conference in early March in El Paso on international air
quality issues.

Tamaulipas has implemented the Inspections and
Compliance Program.

The ten states support binational air quality
groups such as the Joint Advisory Committee for the Improvement
of Air Quality in the Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua / El Paso, Texas
/ Doña Ana County, New Mexico Air Basin.

Recommendation 3Promote the development of an environmental strategy for new
electrical generation plants in the border region with the goal
of protecting air quality, and, where possible, conserving water
resources in the region.

Accomplishments

This issue was turned to the recently created
Energy Work Table.

Recommendation 4Identify integrated strategies for waste tire management along
the border, in coordination with appropriate federal authorities,
to promote adequate management and recycling, and to reduce health
and environmental risks.

Accomplishments
Actions undertaken by states include:

SEMARNAT has formed a workgroup to address the
issue of used tires in the border region, which seeks to continue
and offer support to border authorities for finding solutions
for this serious problem, and is consistent with the Border
2012 Program.

The municipality of Chihuahua initiated a waste
tires (400,000) treatment project with private sector support
that shreds the tires prior to utilizing them at a landfill.
The First Binational Waste Tire Management and Disposal Workshop
was held in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

New México held discussions with a private company
for the construction and operation of a plant that utilizes
waste tires as fuel near an electricity generating station.

Texas has obtained a grant waste tire management
from EPA's Region 6 office along the border, and held workshops
on the subject in Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Juárez and San Antonio.

Tamaulipas held the Border Waste Tires Workshop
in Nuevo Laredo.

In some border cities, like Ciudad Juárez, the
disposal of waste tires through low scale productive uses is
being addressed.

Recommendation 5Enhance emergency preparedness among sister cities along the
border by updating or developing sister city emergency response
plans and supporting community needs for additional binational training
and equipment in preparation for chemical emergencies, fires and
emerging threats.

Accomplishments

California has trained personnel from the attorney
general's office and state police on identifying and dismanteling
clandestine drug/chemical labs.

Sonora and Arizona have binational emergency
preparedness plans for all four sister-cities in their border
region.

New México created an office to specifically address emergency
response plans.

Texas held several training exercises were held
with Protección Civil, PROFEPA, the Kickapoo Nation, the TCEQ
and the City of Eagle Pass on September 2-6, 2002 in the Eagle
Pass/Piedras Negras area. In addition, the EPA is currently
working with the City of El Paso and the Municipio de Juárez
to develop a sister-city plan for these two cities, the two
largest on the Texas portion of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Emergency response trainings were held in various
municipalities in Tamaulipas.

Recommendation 6Join the efforts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT),
and the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation to
forge and participate in a U.S.-Mexico border states pollution prevention
partnership to integrate pollution prevention in environmental protection.
This effort to promote pollution prevention and cleaner production
anticipates an increase in environmental innovation that results
in a cleaner environment and stronger economy.

AccomplishmentsActivities undertaken by states include:

The six Mexican status and SEMARNAT agreed to
jointly organize pollution prevention workshops in 2003.

SEMARNAT already gave its approval to include
November 15 as Recycling Day in the environmental agenda, which
is being processed by the Legal Council of the Presidency for
the Federal Executive authority, to approve and remit the respective
Decree.

SEMARNAT, through the National Institute of Ecology
and the General Directorate of Air Quality and with the support
of the Western Governors Association, is developing an emissions
inventory for the six Mexican border states.

Baja California and California have participated
in the implementation of various pollution prevention courses
in the four principal cities of Baja California.

Sonora and Arizona implemented an Amigo Program
geared toward maquiladoras to reduce the generation of hazardous
waste.

In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua the Air Quality Program
for 2004-2006 is being updated and includes three monitors that
measure carbon monoxide, total suspended particulates and ozone.
The installation of two monitoring stations for PM10 particulates
is being addressed in Ojinaga. Chihuahua has a mobile air monitoring
station that measures ozone, PM10 particulates, sulfur dioxide,
carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxides.

New Mexico provides pollution prevention trainings
for the border community.

Texas held workshops in February 2003 on disposal
of grease from restaurants.

Each state has an environmental education program.

The states exchanged information on strategies
and binational initiatives on pollution prevention, including
recognition programs for industrial sector accomplishments.

HEALTH

Recommendation 1Provide continued support to implement the binational border
health information system among the 10 border states.

Accomplishments

The Health work table met in Laredo Texas on
September 19, 2003. Operative guidelines of the Binational
Border Health Information System working group were developed
and approved.

The BBHIS was divided in five vertical Regional
Subsystems.

California-Baja California Regional Subsystem:
The 2002 California Annual Border Heath Status Report, prepared
by the California Office of Binational Border Health (COBBH),
will include information on health indicators for the California
and Baja California border region. Binational Border Infectious
Disease Surveillance (BIDS): COBBH has played a key role in
establishing an infectious disease surveillance network on
both sides of the California-Mexico border that provides early
warning of disease problems. This system has contributed to
measles and rubella control in the region and is monitoring
for the occurrence of West Nile virus. BIDS also has a protocol
for exchange of public health information between participating
coordinators in both sides of the border.

Arizona-Sonora Regional Subsystem: The Arizona and Sonora
public health departments have been sharing national and
local information related to public health emergency response
activities through a secured web site, the Arizona state
Secured Integrated Response Emergency Notification (SIREN)
system. Currently 13 Sonora Public Health Officials have
access through a password-protected system. The 13 include
staff from Hermosillo, the Santa Ana and Caborca Jurisdicciones
and the four border communities of Naco, Agua Prieta, Nogales,
and San Luis Rio Colorado. Sonora will be adding Puerto
Penasco and Sonoyta to the network in the coming months.
The Office of Border Health is currently creating within
SIREN a Border Health Category. In Arizona, the counties
of Pima, Cochise, Yuma and Santa Cruz will have access to
this Border Health page. Under this category, the sister
states will share published health alerts, epidemiological
information, and any other information deemed significant
and of public health import. Only the binational network
will have access to this "Category". In addition both Sonora
and Arizona participate in the infectious disease surveillance
project that provides early warning of infectious disease
surveillance problems.

New Mexico-Texas-Chihuahua Regional Subsystem:
This was the first Regional Subsystem that was established
on November 1997, which led to the implementation of the Binational
Border Health Information System, better known as EPI-FAX
Information System. Monthly meetings are held to support binational
project activities of these border communities. This year
the Health Alert Network System (HANS) has been included as
a component of the BBHIS and is under implementation.

Texas-Coahuila Regional Subsystem and the Texas-Tamaulipas
Regional Subsystem: An Agreement among these four states was
established to permit analysis of health risks and hazards,
which would facilitate planning, development and evaluation
of activities that can be realized between the border states
of both countries. This system will allow timely interfacing
of the administrative and operative process of the municipalities
and border public health jurisdictions of Coahuila, Nuevo
Leon and Tamaulipas, and public health regions of Texas Department
of Health. Health communications assessment of theses border
region has completed. These four Border States are working
jointly to improve the electronic infrastructure of the local
border jurisdictions. This year the Health Alert Network System
(HANS) has been included as component of the BBHIS and is
under implementation. The objective of HANS is to share the
Texas health alerts and public health information important
for these four Border States. Additionally, an 800 number
was established to facilitate communications among these border
communities.

Recommendation 2Promote the development of a public-private prevention framework
along the United States-Mexico border to promote the prevention
of substance abuse that ensures a collaborative commitment to prevention
programs and strategies that have proven effective.

Accomplishments

The representatives of the Substance Abuse Commission
(SAC) met September 20 2002 and August 1, 2003 in Laredo, Texas
and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.

A proposed plan was drafted which includes the
following:

Establish a committee that allows the SAC to
receive funding and resources to be utilized to develop research
protocols.

.Promote the exchange of information and training of effective
treatment models utilized within the Border States.

The Binational Technical Working Group (TWG)
of the Health Work Table of the U.S.-Mexico Border Governors
Conference met twice during the year (September 19-20, 2002
at Laredo, TX and June 7-8, 2003 in El Paso, TX) to provide
technical assistance on the Health Indicators-better known as
Healthy Gente/Frontera Saludable Indicators.

The TWG agreed to identify the baseline data
for each one of the indicators at the border level, using data
from year 2000 and projecting them to 2010.

The U.S. section of the TWG is working by invitation
of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission to review and finalize,
in coordination with the USMBHC advisory group, the publication
Healthy Border 2010 based on the same indicators that the Binational
TWG is working on. The publication will be available by Fall
2003.

TOURISM

Recommendation 1Design and implement a mechanism to consistently and accurately
collect information regarding the volume of cross-border travel
and travelers to gain comparable data to measure the importance
of border tourism.

Accomplishments

Texas tourism officials held meetings with Banco
de Mexico, the Mexico Tourism Promotion Board and SECTUR in
Mexico City to discuss opportunities to coordinate binational
data on the tourism market in order to obtain a comprehensive
study.

The Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix released
in May 2003 the study, "Economic Impact of the Mexico-Arizona
Relationship," carried out by researchers at Thunderbird, The
American Graduate School of International Management, and sponsored
by Wells Fargo Bank. The study, available at www.sre.gob.mx/phoenix,
includes an analysis of Mexican visitors' impact on the border
tourism economy and job creation.

The University of Arizona issued in July 2002
a report titled, "The Economic Impacts of Mexican Visitors to
Arizona," that analyzes the travel and spending patterns of
Mexican visitors to Arizona. The study was submitted to the
Tucson-Mexico Trade Office.

Recommendation 2Support, preserve and promote jointly the natural and cultural
diversity and scenic beauty of the border region through education
and the marketing of historic, cultural and ecotourism corridors.

Accomplishments

The Arizona and Sonora Offices of Tourism sponsored
La Ruta de Sonora binational ecotourism project by linking to
their websites, sponsoring collateral materials and providing
venues for public presentations on the project.

The Center for Arizona-Sonora Regional Tourism
Development, an initiative of the Arizona and Sonora Offices
of Tourism, promoted the Two-Nation Vacation concept through
development of professional marketing materials and strategic
planning.

The Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) and the Comisión Sonora-Arizona
(CSA) supported the Beyond Borders sculpture project in Ambos
Nogales in an effort to promote the development of cultural
tourism in the border region.

The Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Nuevo
León established cooperative domestic marketing programs in
2002. All Mexican Border States are invited to participate in
the National and International Marketing Plan to be released
in 2003.

Recommendation 3
Expand collaborative information programs that inform and assist
potential travelers regarding their rights and obligations, including
those pertaining to taxes and immigration, to enhance the experience
of visitors to the border region.

Accomplishments

Mexico's Secretariat of Tourism completed in
December 2002 a bilingual Tourists Manual for foreign visitors,
available at www.sectur.gob.mx and currently being distributed through the tourism offices
of the northern border states, Consulates, foreign tour operators,
federal agencies and offices of the Tourism Promotion Council
of Mexico.

The Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) Task Force
on Real Estate Practices, Investment & Development, formed by
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, completed a series of educational
tools designed to protect consumers and promote best practices
in the Arizona-Sonora real estate market. The materials are
available at www.azmc.org.

Recommendation 4Establish a joint program to monitor and encourage modifications
to existing measures relating to migration and tax matters, and
oppose new measures that negatively impact tourism, economic development
and cross-border movement.

Accomplishments

The Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) and Comisión
Sonora-Arizona (CSA) in June 2003 hosted the Director of the
U.S. VISIT Program, the border entry/exit controls system being
implemented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to
inform the border communities and enable them to express their
concerns about the program.

The Mexican federal government, at the petition
of the Northern Border States, eliminated the immigration fee
for tourists entering Mexico by land and visiting for no more
than seven days.

Arizona tourism officials testified before the
United States Congress in 2002 regarding the potential negative
impact of the U.S. federal government's proposed reduction of
the default period for tourist visas from six months to one
month.

Recommendation 5Take steps with the corresponding authorities of both countries
to facilitate the entry of tourists in order to strengthen the respective
border economies.

Accomplishments

Foreign tourists and paisanos headed for Mexico
can now carry out immigration, customs and vehicle importation
proceedings in advance at Mexican Consulates in Chicago, Dallas,
Houston, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Sacramento and Salt Lake
City, and soon in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) issued in
February 2003 the report, "Arizona's Global Gateway: Addressing
the Priorities of Our Border Communities," to analyze needs
at Arizona's ports of entry, which are critical to commerce
and tourism. The AMC has initiated the implementation phase
of this project in coordination with relevant local, state and
federal authorities.

Mexico's Northern Border States continued to
open special tourism windows to attend to foreign visitors entering
Mexico by land to engage in hunting or fishing activities. These
windows are in operation in: Matamoros, Tamaulipas; Colombia,
Nuevo León; Mexicali, Baja California; and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Openings are scheduled for 2003 at: Chihuahua, Chihuahua Airport;
Hermosillo, Sonora Airport; and Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

The U.S. CANAMEX Corridor Coalition held a joint
meeting with its Mexican and Canadian counterparts at the Arizona-Mexico
Commission (AMC) Plenary Session in June 2003 to coordinate
cross-border strategic planning for the trade and tourism corridor.

The University of Arizona Cyberport Study, sponsored
by the Arizona Department of Transportation and supported the
Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC), was released in June 2003 at
the AMC Plenary Session in Tucson, Arizona. The study proposes
systemic changes to border ports of entry in order to better
facilitate the flows of good and people across the border.